Lord Sesshomaru's Challenging Son
by NightRrain
Summary: Lord Sesshomaru has three offspring: Momiji, Yuki, and Tohru. He life was perfect until mysterious attacks began to appear out of nowhere. But that is not the only problem he faces. His heir for his lands, Momiji, no longer wants to be a lord. And to make matters worse, his mate seems to not love him anymore. Life is a disaster now. *Companion to Lord Sesshomaru's Challenging Gift
1. Cheaters and many Cracks to the Head

**Just wanted to start off saying really quick. The boy in the cover pic is indeed Yuki, Sesshomaru's second son and younger brother to Momiji. **

**Also, **t**his story is great to read alone. But if you would like to know how Kuda met Sesshomaru, you can go read Lord Sesshomaru's Challenging Gift. But if you don't want to, that's just fine because like I said this story is great to read alone as well.**

**And lastly, Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Momiji ran around the corner of one of the huts where Sesshomaru's soldiers lived. He breathed heavily as he licked to moistened his dry lips and peeked slightly around the corner. As he smiled, it soon fell as he heard feet scuffle through the dirt floor. He swallowed, turned and ran. It's going to catch me, Momiji though as he headed towards the garden, it's going to catch me and kill me! Jumping through the bushes and stomping on the pink flowers, he jumped over the bench that was in front of the giant Cherry Blossom Cherry tree and ran behind it's great trunk. Once more breathing heavily, he listened for anything. And sure enough he heard the same scuffle behind him and with one jump in the air, he twirled around the tree trunk to now hide in front of it where the bench slightly touched the back of his knees. It's going to kill me, he thought again gasping, I can't let it find me. Then Momiji let out a yelp as something landed on his head giggling, with its tiny hands covering his eyes. Blind and forgetting about the bench, he walked backwards only to yelp again as he tripped over the bench and landed on his back. The giggling turned into roars of laughter along with Momiji's. Sitting up, Momiji pulled whatever had landed on his head and held the thing up in the air.

"You cheated," Momiji said with a smile.

"No, Towu no cheat, Momo cheat! Momo wun fas!" The child accused angrily with her little index finger pointing at him.

"No you cheated," Momiji replied angrily, "it's called hide and seek! You always climb the tallest of things to look down and spot the person you're seeking!"

"No!" Tohru squealed angrily and began to thrash in his arms. Momiji quickly set the child on the floor and just as he did, Tohru grabbed his arm and bit him. Momiji hissed and growled at Tohru, but Tohru returned a same small growl with his arm still in her mouth. "You're still a cheater," Momiji stated, making Tohru dig her little fangs deeper into his arm.

"You're both cheaters," stated another voice.

"Yuki, little brother! Have you finally come to join the fun?" Momiji asked him with a smile, forgetting about Tohru's teeth in his arm.

Yuki's faced darkened as he replied, "I would never join you in this, what you actually consider fun. And as I was saying, both of you are cheaters. While she climbs anything to find the person, you run as fast as you can from a child who can even run five feet without tripping. Maybe one day you'll trip as well, brother, with such speed."

Yuki always managed to make Momiji's day turn from happy to anger and annoyance ever since Yuki had lost his markings. He hated how his little brother would always point out the flaws and wrong doings of him. "So what do you want," Momiji asked Yuki rudely.

Yuki sighed as he replied, "Father wants to see you."

"When doesn't he want to see me..." Momiji mumbled. "Alright then," Momiji said and stood, taking Tohru along the way still attached to his arm, "Let go Tohru." The child growled at him and bit down even harder, now making a stream of blood run down his arm. Momiji smirked as he said again, "Let go Tohru, or would you like me to go tell mother?" The child's eyes widen in fright and immediately retreated her teeth from his arm back into her mouth, at the same time falling to the floor on her rear end. On the floor Tohru glowered as she crossed her arms over her little chest, sighing madly.

Momiji laughed at the sight of her and picked her up. Giving her one quick kiss on her cheek, which sent her squealing with madness, and flung her to Yuki. Yuki gasped as he caught the child in arms at the last moment. "How many times has mother told you not throw her!" Yuki yelled at Momiji angrily.

"Not enough times to make me stop throwing her," Momiji said with a smirk as he walked past him, bumping his shoulder his arm.

* * *

When Momiji walked into his father's study room his was father was not there, but Archer was. And as always Archer looked bored out of his mind, his fingers absently playing with the side of the bow he always carried as he sat on the floor. He didn't even glance up as Momiji walked over to him and smacked him behind the head. "Not Nice, Momo."

"Where's father?" Momiji asked as he plopped himself beside Archer.

"He went to go retrieve a scroll he said he needed. Do you remember Yucca?"

Momiji blinked as he thought and replied unsure, "Kind of, is she a girl from a village we met?"

"Close," Archer said shifting and finally stared into Momiji's golden eyes with his blue ones, "She's a servant here. Yes, look at your face, remembering who she is now? I heard she's pregnant, Momiji."

Momiji let out a nervous laugh, "You're joking, tell me you're joking!"

"I wish I was, Momiji." Archer replied as he dropped his eyes down again to his bow, "And this is your fault. If you would stop sticking it everywhere, you wouldn't have these problems you idiot."

"I'm sure I'll convince her to get rid of it. I mean, who wants a half breed? I sure don't."

Archer stared at Momiji again with disbelief and said, "You're unbelievable! You would reject your own child? Well now, I guess you'll get satisfaction out of this. I told your mother and she convinced Yucca to get rid of it with a heavy meal of pure pregnancy plants. Your mother also decided to keep Yucca and me shut, because she decided she is going to deal with you herself."

Momiji scoffed and turned head, "She's not that scary..." he mumbled.

"No," Archer said with a grin as he leaned towards Momiji and whispered in his ear, "she might not be scary, but her ways of dealing with a problem are scary."

Momiji pushed Archer away from him roughly, "Don't get too close to me, you stink."

Archer raised an eyebrow at Momiji confused and began to smell under his armpits, "Really? And I bathed with the soap Mey brought me that she handmade herself."

"Yep," Momiji said grinning at him, "dandelions and roses. What kind of man likes smelling like flowers!" And Momiji burst out laugh at Archer.

Archer felt a bit embarrassed, his pale cheeks turning a light pink. "I guess I'll have to refuse Mey's handmade soaps from now on."

"No don't," Momiji said still laughing, "they suit you actually quite nice!"

And Momiji yelled as Archer cracked his bow at the top of Momiji's head loudly. Shooting both hands up to his head, Momiji leaned away from Archer with a pained face while growling. "You can kill somebody like that, you know!"

"Yes somebody, but not a stupid demon like the likes of you!" Archer spat at him darkly.

"Give me that bow! Let's just see how much you like it!" Momiji said and reached for it. But in the midst of their fight over the bow, Sesshomaru walked into the room with a scroll in hand.

Archer quickly kicked Momiji off him and bowed on the floor, "Lord Sesshomaru." And while Archer bowed politely before Sesshomaru, Momiji took his chance and cracked the bow on top of Archer's head just as loudly as Archer had done to him. And everything was quiet, the hit on Archer's head not even making Archer gasp out of pain. Angered, Momiji went into a storm of repeatedly cracking the bow on Archer's head until Sesshomaru stopped him and once more, getting another crack on _his_ head with the bow by his father.

"Now listen you two," Sesshomaru said as he sat behind his desk and rolled open the scroll, "I have been getting reports from one of the trading markets by the port that there have been at least six attacks in just one week."

"What's the point though," Momiji said rubbing the top of his head, "we kill and kill very single last worthless demon and yet more appear out of no where!"

"That's because we need to find from where they are originating from," Archer added, also rubbing the top and back of his head.

"Those two concerns have to nothing to do with this concern. Pay attention," Sesshomaru said to them sternly, "we need to go and kill those demons. I can't have demon attacks affecting the trade in my land."

"Alright, say we kill them all, again. More will appear and attack the same place all over again! We can't be running back and fourth, father!"

"That is why my son, I will leave hundred or so of my soldiers to protect them."

"But that would not be wise, Lord Sesshomaru," Archer said. "If we leave so many soldiers out there to protect the villages from attacks, what would happen if a lord decides to declare a war against you? How would you protect your family and home?"

"There should no declaration of war, Archer. Times now we are at peace, and we would have more peace if it weren't for these pesky demons. You Archer will be a lord soon, are we at peace?"

Archer nodded and bowed his head, "We are at peace, Lord Sesshomaru."

"Now then, we can get to those two concerns before. With soldiers protecting many villages now, we will have more time to investigate from where these demons are originating from."

"I say there originating from Archer's ass," Momiji said, sounding as if his statement was a true matter of business.

Grabbing the bow in his hand, Momiji squealed as he backed away from his father and scurried to hide behind Archer. Smirking, Sesshomaru threw the bow into Archer's open hands and said, "Come look at this map. This map holds caves that I believe go into hell, where it is that demons are escaping."

* * *

"Mother, Tohru needs a clean cloth."

Kuda was busy eating a rice ball when her son came into her room. "Yuki, can you do it for me this one time?" Yuki only let out a clear annoyed sigh and set Tohru on the mat and went in search for the clean cloths. "There over there by that little table," Kuda instructed him. As she popped the last piece od rice into her mouth her hand reached for another beside her. She was busy choosing clothing for her and her children and eating on top of them wasn't the wisest choice, but she could care less for is she stained one she would not buy it.

"Have you attended your study class today, Yuki?"

"No," Yuki replied as he removed the dirty cloth from Tohru's body, "the teacher didn't come today. Why do I have to keep taking those studies if I won't be a lord?"

"Because Yuki something can happen to Momiji. If something happens to him, kami forbid it, you will have to be the next lord and you have to be prepared for it. The same with Tohru. In a couple of years she too will be attending studies." Kuda replied. "Do you know why your teacher didn't come today?"

"His wife was giving birth to his child," Yuki said simply.

"Ah," was all Kuda replied.

"Mother?" Yuki asked as he finished changing Tohru. Tohru yawned and rolled over in the mat, closing her eyes.

"Mhm?"

After a moment, "Never mind."

Kuda stopped looking through the clothing and turned to look at Yuki. By now Yuki had thrown himself beside Tohru and closed his eyes for a nap as well. Kuda smiled, how she loved her children, and returned to looking over the clothing. And sure enough, she put one blue kimono back into a case as it was stained with soy sauce. And happily she went looking through more kimonos.

"Momiji threw Tohru again..."

Yuki's soft words froze Kuda with anger. Smacking a red hakama pair into the table, she practically growled angrily as she murmured to herself, "I'm going to beat that boy until he can't breath." And those words brought a smile to Yuki's lips as fell asleep beside his little sister who let out soft snores.


	2. Puppies

"Mother, aren't you looking fine today?" Momiji greeted his mother with arms wide open for a hug and huge smile plastered on his face. He knew that by her quick and stern march towards him that he was either going to get a shouting or a beating. Both were horrible in any a case and if there was a way to lessen the horribleness, he hoped it was his jolly greeting towards her. It wasn't, for his head snapped sideways when his mother slapped him.

"Don't try put me in a good mood right now because nothing will put me in a good with what you have done lately!" Kuda shouted at Momiji. And when Momiji turned to face his mother, another slap flew across his cheek. "And how many times have I told you not to throw your sister? She can get hurt dammit! You know how your father gets when either Yuki or Tohru are hurt! You may be his son but he will also have no mercy with you."

"She's a demon, mother, demons can't get hurt that easily! If Tohru fell from a tree right now, she will feel no pain!" And once he finished, his mother pinched his arm with a strength Momiji didn't know she had. He yelped and snatched his arm away from her, rubbing the abused spot on his skin.

"You're a demon too, and you just screamed of pain right now! Just because your father doesn't show pain when he comes home injured, doesn't mean he's in pain. It also doesn't mean you or your bother and sister should also show no pain like your father. Now with that cleared," Kuda said and pinched his pointed ear between her fingers and began to drag him while he hissed at the pain into the closest room there was. Once inside the room, she released his ear and began to whisper harshly at him, "I take it Archer told you Yucca was pregnant with your child? Do you also know how broken she is right now since I forced her to get rid of that baby, your baby to be exact? How does it feel, Momiji, to kill your own child?"

Momiji was still rubbing his sore ear as replied carelessly, "Nothing. How could I feel something for a brat who wasn't even born? Now Yucca, I do feel a bit of remorse for standing up the girl. But c'mon mother, do you really need to hurt me this much over a little problem such as that?"

"It isn't a little problem it's a very big, big problem! To bring a life into this world is very big problem because you have to be devoted to raise a child! A child is not a doll like Tohru's who you can just throw out, it actually has life in it! Tell me, if another servant of ours becomes pregnant with your child and gives birth to it what are you going to do then?"

Momiji shrugged his shoulder and replied, "I'll kill it and it's mother. I don't want a child and if I do want one, I don't want a half-breed. It's as simple as that, just exterminate the worthless beings."

"How you are becoming like your father," Kuda told him bitterly, "except you are much worse than your father. I'm warning from right now Momiji if another servant becomes pregnant with your child, not only will that servant suffer now. You'll be suffering three times worse than that poor woman, got it?"

Momiji scoffed and replied with amusement in his voice, "And what exactly are you planning to do to make me suffer three times worse, mother?"

"My father castrated our dog, and Momiji, do you know what castrate means?"

"No," Momiji replied still amused.

Kuda shoved him against the wall roughly and whispered in his ear, "It means my father ripped the balls off our dog. Now Momiji, I'll rip off yours against or not against your will, and then lets see how another woman would like my big bad doggy boy then."

"I-I have, f-father is waiting f-for me to go, m-mother." Momiji stuttered with utter terror.

"Yes," Kuda said backing away and patting his near purple cheek lovingly, "your father is waiting for you to go. Go." Momiji quickly slipped past her and almost ran away. "Momiji," his mother's voice stopped him and he turned his head only to look at her, "this rule also applies to women outside our home." Quickly nodding, he now actually ran off.

Smiling happily that she had finally gotten through her own son as she hoped, she smoothed her grey kimono from the front and turned to pick up Tohru as she came running around corner as Yuki chased her playfully.

* * *

Momiji could not think of another time that he was ever this afraid of his mother this much. Because her threats always came true and this one, he had no doubt it would also become true. He had to leave the women alone and if not leave them alone, then at least not get them pregnant. He would not have his pride ripped off by his own mother, no way in hell. Running into the courtyard, he spotted his father talking with the general of his army and Archer sitting on his great brown horse. Deciding it was best to show his bruises to Archer instead to his father, Momiji walked around the soldiers quickly towards Archer with his head hung. Once reaching Archer, he turned and leaned his back on Archer's horse.

"Have a bad day, Momo?" Archer asked, seeing his usual way of leaning on something when he was angry.

"I don't know, what do you think?" Momiji spat at him as he turned his head so Archer could get a good look at his purple cheek.

Archer couldn't help but grin as he replied, "I truly thought you'd come back with an arm broken, or at least one of your legs broken as well."

"I did, I came back with the threat of being castrated if I leave another girl pregnant. Do you know what castrated means?"

His question was answered when Archer began to laugh. It was rare when Archer laughed out loud and now, Momiji knew he hated Archer's laugh. He vowed that if he ever heard Archer laugh in his presence he would personally knock his teeth out. And not hearing Archer stop laughing, he turned to swing at him but caught himself in time as he almost hit another person. Stumbling, he looked at the person that he was about hit with terror and a bit of anger.

"Why happened to your cheek, Momiji-sama?"

Momiji almost wanted to tear the woman apart with his bare hands. He hated how he heard the love in Yucca's wordiness towards him. And just as pity took over him, rage replaced it just as quickly too. "What happened to my cheek was all your fault! If you hadn't gotten pregnant, this wouldn't have happened to me you prostitute!"

Momiji groaned as pain ran across his cheek again and this time his head as he stumbled and fell onto his back on the gravel. Gasping with anger he sat up, spat out blood and stared deathly at Archer who was standing with anger twisting his face and balled fists by his side. "Don't blame other people when you clearly know it is your own blame," Archer said coldly to Momiji. And he was about to lunge at Momiji again on the floor when Yucca stopped him with a scream.

"No," she said, "no! He's right, it's my fault for getting pregnant, Archer-sama! Please, don't hurt him anymore!"

Momiji scoffed at the words of Yucca and stood chuckling softly. Once more spitting out blood, he pressed the back of his wrist towards his cheek as he turned to walk away. Yucca felt horrible seeing Momiji slump away, so she ran to him to comfort him. But once her hand touched his arm, he pulled it away from her in an instant and hissed at her coldly, "Don't touch me, _ever_." Momiji saw the hurt in Yucca's eyes as she gasped and turned to walk humbly back into the palace, but he could care less anymore.

* * *

The end of the week came as the same. Sesshomaru, Momiji, and Archer had managed to kill every demon attacking the trading port villages. There was no difference than before. It was the same amount of demons, same amount of human deaths, and same injures for the three of them. Sesshomaru had only gotten scratches, as usual. Archer had one more scar to add to his back and one cut running along the side of his body that was now stitched up. And as always, Momiji was the worst who was beaten up. He had managed to get a couple of claw marks on his back and chest, one scratch running down his chin, one purple eye, and the last fingers on his right hand purple as a demon pig had stomped on them. He was grateful they were not broken and just bruised, but that didn't mean they still didn't hurt. Sesshomaru wanted to leave then, but seeing Archer and his son beaten up and tired he gave them a days rest in one of the villages. Archer was more than grateful and he ate and went to sleep right away. Sesshomaru had used this chance to go check one of the caves that was near and that was drawn on his map. Momiji wanted to go with his father but since last week when his father found his purple cheek and the reason for it, Momiji saw distaste in his father's eyes towards him. And once his father left and Archer was sleeping, Momiji decided to roam the small village.

Children played outside their huts, women were busy drying fish outside or were inside making their families supper, and some men were busy fixing the roofs of some huts. When he finally got to the other end of the village, Momiji sat on a great bolder with his arm on his knee and his head supported in his hand, looking out at the land before him bored. But soon a young girl caught his attention. Only turning his eyes to gaze at her, he guessed she must've been around fourteen at the most with a very pretty face accompanied by a poor and ripped kimono. She also carried two buckets, one in each hand, full of water. Such a pretty thing for such an awful life, Momiji thought. And then the girl whistled, making Momiji shoot up his head instinctively towards her. The girl saw this and laughed at him. Momiji felt anger at the thought that she just mocked him. Bending down, she set the buckets on the floor and clapped on the side of her leg. Once she did this, many brown puppies burst out of no where from the road behind her. All came hurriedly to her call, some of them tripping over each other or nipping each other as they rang along side. Once all of them swarmed her, she picked up the buckets again and continued her walk with the puppies running around her moving feet.

"Sorry for mistaking you with the whistle, Momiji-sama. Would you like a puppy?" The girl said to him giggling as she stopped beside him.

Momiji thought to refuse, but then he remembered that Tohru had been begging for a puppy lately. And how to make a little sister admire her big brother more than bringing her gifts every time he returned from a battle? He looked down to the brown pups, all different with markings. Some had white chests, while others had one black paw and even one with all white paws and a white chest. He liked that one, the one with all white four paws and a white chest as the pup was the biggest from them all and seemed less hyper. The puppy catching Momiji's stare at her, wagged her tail and trotted over to him with her tongue sticking out. Momiji reached down with his hand and fondled the puppy's big brown floppy ears.

"Nala, how could you betray me like that?"

Momiji looked up to the girl and repeated, "Betray you?"

The girl nodded her head as she set the buckets down, "She refuses to let anyone touch her, even me. I thought she wasn't really a people's dog and my father was going to kill her for if she grew aggressive. But now I have the comfort that she will live and with a person she finally found that she likes."

"Oh," was all Momiji replied and returned to fondling the dog's ears.

"Momiji-sama, you're hurt. Are you going to be ok?" The girl asked him as she noticed the cuts on his back.

"Yes," Momiji replied not looking at her, "they'll heal in a couple of days."

"Oh, good then," the girl replied and picked up the buckets again with struggle in her arms. "Goodbye, Momiji-sama, and you too Nala." But the girl didn't even take a step when the buckets were ripped away from her hands.

"I'll carry them," Momiji said, now buckets in hand, "it is the least I can do for giving me a pup of yours."

The girl laughed and said, "Momiji-sama, you can take them all of you like." And she kicked one away that had now chewed away half of her sandal saying, "There're such a bothersome to me, annoying little things. One would be fine, but six of them is too much."

"Then I'll take three more," Momiji said with a smile. And seeing the girl smile back at him, ripped his heart in half.

* * *

Tohru ran out of the palace laughing as she had smelled her father's scent arriving. Kuda and Yuki came behind her walking slowly. Tohru laughed when her father picked her up and hugged her. And once he set Tohru back down, she ran to Momiji and hugged his leg instead as Momiji didn't pick her up. But Momiji opened a huge back that he was carrying and took out Nala by the scarf of her neck. When Tohru saw the puppy, she squealed with delight as she raised her tiny hands to it. "Puppy, I wan puppy Momo!"

"Her name is Nala," Momiji told her.

"Nala," Tohru repeated as she took the puppy in her arms and ran back to her mother to show her the gift.

Archer was not left out as Momiji shoved a male puppy this time, with one of its back paws black, into his arms. Archer didn't seemed annoyed but rather liked the pup. "Apo," Archer named the pup and scratched behind one of its brown ears while walking away with it. Momiji also shoved another puppy into Yuki's arms, another male with only a white chest. The puppy took a quick liking to Yuki and began to lick his face. Yuki laughed and pet the dog's back to calm it down. "Inuoku," Yuki named it.

"Where exactly did you get all these dogs, Momiji?" Kuda asked him as he pulled another puppy from the bag who was also another male with black floppy ears and set it on the ground.

"This one is mine and his name is Momo and I got them by mating a wolf demon mother." Momiji replied.

Kuda knew it was joke, but she wasn't happy that so many dogs were going to live in the palace. "Alright, but those pups of yours better learn to go outside because if one dares to go inside, they won't be able to do their business anymore once I'm done with them."

Momiji laughed and hugged his mother, "Alright. I also brought you another bag of your favorite tea."

Kuda gasped and turned Momiji quickly, "Quickly, go hide it in prison shed before your father finds it! If he finds it I won't be able to enjoy my green tea when he leaves for battle!"

Momiji chuckled at his mother and ran to the prison shed where he always he hid his mother's favorite tea from his father. His father had a great hatred for green tea and if any he would spot, he would destroy it. So it was crucial he hid the tea well. And once the tea was hidden, he walked out of the shed to see someone he had been wanting to see since morning. It was Yucca, standing at the door way with her head bowed and another bag of green tea in hand. "Archer-sama told me to bring you the tea so you may hide it."

Momiji smiled amused, not believing how Archer passed another green tea bag under his and his father's nose. For all he knew, he kept smelling the bag of tea he hid under many scents and didn't even catch a whiff of Archer's hidden tea bag. "Sneaky bastard," Momiji said as he took the bag from Yucca's hands, "He's better than I thought. Yucca?"

"Yes, Momiji-sama?" Yucca replied with head still bowed.

"I'm sorry."

Yucca gasped and carefully looked at Momiji. Does he mean it, she thought. Momiji scratched the back of his neck and turned to the bag that was moving beside him. Opening it, he took out a pure white puppy that looked completely different from all of the others and handed it to Yucca. "I know what I did was wrong," Momiji explained, "and I know I should feel shame for killing my own child but I'll tell you truthfully, I don't. But I will say that I do feel shame for taking away my child that was also yours. And," Momiji scratched his head, "you can pretend this puppy is our or at least your child. And it's not just some runt. It's actually a Demon Hound that I went hunting for myself. I'll tell you, never steal a pup from a mother Demon Hound, they never seem to stop chasing you."

Yucca smiled down at the whining puppy while petting her. Then she looked up to Momiji and said happily, "I forgive you, but she is mine now. How can I trust her father when he killed her first brother or sister? Nope, Inumoma is mine, Momiji-sama." And she turned and walked away murmuring to the puppy in her arms.

Momiji chuckled and kicked the ground before him, "Well I'll be damned, never thought I would feel something for a child they took away from me who wasn't even my child to begin with."


End file.
